ALOE VERA in COOKERY and MEDICINE

ALOE VERA
I’d seen it many times before I realized that the rather ugly (I thought) spiky plant was aloe vera, which I knew was used in various lotions and creams as well as shampoos, as a beauty treatment. You can see the picture so some of you will understand what I mean.
This unprepossessing plant has been used for centuries to heal wounds (Dioscorides) and Pliny the Elder wrote that it was used to heal leprosy sores. It was the world’s first anti-perspirants too.
It’s known in different cultures by other names; it is known as the ‘lily of the desert’ in Arabia, where it originated and the ‘silent healer’ by Hindus, who believe it came from the Garden of Eden. The ancient Egyptians depicted the plant in stone carvings 6,000 years ago and called it the ‘plant of immortality’. It was entombed with the pharaohs for use in the after life, and later used for embalming when mixed with myrrh. Alexander the Great took over the island of Socotra, which produced a lot of aloe vera plants.
It was believed to ward off evil, and placed over doorways, to protect the inhabitants from witches and their spells. The Egyptians also found another use for it; they made scrolls with it.
It was in the subcontinent by 600 BC and now grows here in abundance. Nearly every house has a plant on the roof or in the courtyard. It also grows in North Africa, South America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
It can be used for all skin problems, and the efficacious substance is a clear gel that is found in the leaves. It can be used as a laxative when digested, but you must be careful not to take too much. Modern medical research has shown that it lowers cholesterol levels and is helpful to sufferers of type 11 diabetes, as it can help lower blood glucose levels.
What is also good about it is that it can be used in cooking. It has the effect of tenderizing meat when cooked with it. We give you a recipe using it below.


ALOE VERA AND LAMB STEW
Ingredients
1 kilo lamb on the bone (shoulder) and cut into small pieces with bone
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 inch piece of ginger root, finely chopped
1 inch piece of aloe vera with the green outer skin removed
6 green chillies, finely chopped
½ handful shredded fresh mint
½ handful shredded coriander leaves
6 cloves
10 black peppercorns
2 green cardamom pods
1 black cardamom pod
1 cinnamon stick 2 inches, split in half
1 tbsp garam masala (see recipes)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup oil
salt and pepper to taste


Method
Put the meat, green and black cardamoms, black peppercorns and cinnamon sticks into a pan and cover with 2 glasses of water. Bring it to the boil and simmer steadily until all the water has evaporated.
Pour the oil into another pan and fry the onions, garlic, aloe vera and ginger for 5 mins. Add the tomatoes and green chillies, stir and cook for a further 2 mins. Now add the garam masala, cumin seeds, turmeric, seasonings and the meat from the other pan. Cook over a low heat for 5 mins, Add 2 glasses of water with the lemon juice stir and cook over a low heat until half the water remains. Remove the pan from the heat.
Garnish with the fresh herbs, cover and leave to stand for 5 mins.
Serve with rice or breads of your choice.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

What is KARELLA? A BITTER GOURD or BITTER MELON

KARELLA or BITTER GOURD or BITTER MELON
Is it a cucumber? I asked naively, only to be told that it wasn’t. Well, what is it then? I really wanted to know the name of this vegetable in English, so that I knew a bit about what to expect from it. No one knew, and in the end I had to look it up on the net- to find the answer under someone else’s plaintive plea ‘What is Karella?’ What indeed! Luckily 2 people had answered the question, giving one of its names each. Ok, so now I know what it’s called. I’d eaten it by then, of course, and knew all about this bitter taste. Personally, I like it, but I could understand if you didn’t. It has a particularly bitter taste, unlike anything else I’ve eaten, and is one of those food items that is an acquired taste.
It would be good if you could acquire it, though, as recent medical studies have borne out the claims of traditional medical practitioners of the subcontinent; it helps diabetes sufferers. Although research is still continuing there are hopes that this bitter little vegetable will “probably” delay or “perhaps” prevent cancer, and studies are being conducted into it could help in the treatment of HIV.
In traditional medicine,(it grows in East Africa, Asia the Caribbean and South America) it is used to relieve fatigue, and the Chinese use it to quench their thirst.
You prepare this strange beast by slicing it in half lengthwise to remove its seeds, These can be dried, then ground to a powder and used to flavour Pakora (see recipe) and other dishes. Alternatively the oil from the seeds is good to put on wounds. Some people boil one whole and then drink the cooking water to lower blood pressure. (You boil one for about an hour.)
There’s a National Bitter Melon Council in the States- a fledgling organization at the present time, and you can find these in Asian shops in the UK. However, if their healing properties are proven, they will undoubtedly be stocked in the big supermarket chains.


TASTY TRADITIONAL KARELLA

Ingredients
1 kilo karella
½ kilo minced meat
4 onions chopped
4 tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 inch ginger finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
6 green chillies, finely chopped
½ handful mint leaves, shredded
½ handful coriander leaves, shredded
1 cup natural yoghurt
1 cup oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp garam masala (see recipes)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp ground pomegranate seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Method
Scrape the knobbly bits off the skin of the karella, so that it’s completely smooth. Cut the karella into 1 inch rounds and remove seeds with your thumb, by pushing them out, or a teaspoon.
Now rub all the pieces all over with salt inside and out, but take care not to break the circles of karella. Leave for 15-20 mins until all the bitter juices have come out. Wash them with cold water to remove salt and remaining juices. Dry on absorbent paper.
Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the karella pieces for 5 mins. Remove the karella and put them in a bowl. Add the onions to the oil, and fry for 5 mins then remove and put in the same pan as the karella.
Now fry the garlic and ginger for 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and minced meat, the spices and the ground pomegranate seeds, plus seasonings. Don’t add too much salt as the karella is a little salty. Cook this mixture for 15 mins.
Pour the yoghurt into the pan with the minced meat, and stir it well so that it is mixed throughout the meat.
Add the karella and onions to the pan along with the green chillies and cook over a low heat for 5 min.
Remove from the heat and add the fresh mint and coriander leaves. Allow to stand for 5 mins then serve with chapattis, naan, pitta or other breads and a salad.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

SPICY HERBAL TEA or TISANE

As the beverage described here is not made with tea leaves, we’ll call it a tisane, as opposed to other descriptions of teas which use tea leaves.
Tisanes have been used by probably every culture and in all civilizations for centuries. They are well documented by both Culpeper and John Gerard, and many others.
It’s useful to keep the ingredients for this tisane in a store cupboard and to take them with you when you travel, especially if you have children. It can be made and administered easily and will help until you can get medical treatment from your doctor.
This recipe will help when you have cold, flu, or sore throat symptoms; it will bring down your temperature and help you to relax. It also helps alleviate stomach pains and cramps.
The recipe below will make two cups of the tisane.



Spicy Tisane
Ingredients
1 tsp dried ground ginger root
2 green cardamom pods
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick, crumbled
sugar to taste
1 tsp lemon juice

Method
Pour 2 and a half cups of water into a pan and add the spices. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and bring to the boil again. Do this twice, or three times. With a ladle scoop up the liquid and pour it back into the pan several times to allow air to pass through the liquid and mix the spices well into the water. Turn the heat right down and cover the pan. Allow it to simmer for 2-3 mins. Strain the liquid into the cups and add the lemon juice and sugar to taste.
You should drink this hot, don’t allow it to cool too much or it will be less effective. It will induce perspiration, so wrap up warm .Preferably drink it in bed as it works immediately.
This has Taste and is a Treat(ment).

What is Pastitsio and how do you make it?

Pastitsio is a traditional Greek dish, which is less well known than moussaka, which is common to both Greek and Turkish cuisines. If you’ve sampled this in a Greek taverna, it was not what pastitsio really is. It takes about an hour to prepare and then there’s the cooking time, so make sure you have plenty of time to make it. Chill out while it’s in the oven with a glass of wine! It’s a good dish for weekends as it’s really tasty and a real treat, and well worth the effort you have to put in to making it.

PASTITSIO
Ingredients
500 gr minced beef, or lamb
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp dried thyme
½ inch piece of cinnamon ground to a fine powder
5 fl oz natural yoghurt
250 gr cheddar cheese, grated
½ ltr milk
50 gr butter
40 gr plain flour
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
300 gr macaroni, cooked
cooking oil

Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions and garlic over a high heat until they start to sweat, then turn down the heat and stir until transparent and almost brown. Put in the minced meat and cook until brown.
Add the tomato puree to soak up some of the oil, and stir. Then stir in the cinnamon, thyme and seasonings and cook for a further 5 mins and cook for a further 5 mins
Remove from the heat while you make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a pan and remove from the heat. Add the flour and stir so that it forms a smooth paste. Then add a little milk and stir into the paste. Add some more and stir while putting it back over a low heat. Continue adding the milk a little at a time and stirring well so that the sauce doesn’t go lumpy. (If it does, put it in a blender and blend till smooth.) Bring it to the boil and stir for 5 mins. Then remove the pan from the heat and add the yoghurt and cheese. Put back on a low heat but do not let the sauce boil. Keep stirring.
Put half the cooked macaroni into a greased ovenproof dish and cover with half the.
In a greased ovenproof dish, put half the cooked macaroni and mix with a third of the cheese sauce. Stir it in well. Now add the minced meat mixture, then the rest of the macaroni. Cover with the sauce and top with grated cheese.
Bake in a preheated medium oven for 30 -45 mins, until the cheese golden brown.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

Salt is salt,isn't it?

SALT

Salt is salt, isn’t it? No need to tell us about that I hear you think. Well, actually there are two kinds of salt you may not have heard of. I hadn’t, until I came to Pakistan, but here I am, and here they are too.

BLACK SALT

That’s what it’s called, because when it comes out of the ground, the large lumps look black. It’s found in volcanic regions in India and Pakistan and is good to cure flatulence and heartburn. It’s also very effective when rubbed on the flesh of a lemon, which you should eat to stop feeling nauseous. I can vouch for its efficacy for curing that queasy feeling personally!

The black salt we buy has been ground to a fine powder, and tastes a little sulpherous, rather like a hard boiled egg. It contains many trace elements and is rich in iron, I guess it gets its dirty-pink colour from those trace elements. I was surprised to find it wasn’t actually black, but it’s more of a grayish pink colour.

It’s not used in cooking, only as a condiment, and is used especially with fruit. It’s good with watermelon, apples and bananas. Black salt is cooling for the body. Below is a cooling, refreshing drink which uses it.

HIMALAYAN CRYSTAL SALT

This was formed aeons ago when the Earth was still forming and before the Himalayas were born. The ancient seas evaporated and the Himalayas pushed upwards, so this salt was formed under great pressure from the upward movement of these magnificent mountains. It’s actually sea salt, although it has been mined in the Himalayan region. It has been protected from all pollutants and impurities, even those found in nature.

After it has been mined, it’s cut, washed with water, sun dried and then ground to a powder or pounded into crystals. It contains 74 trace minerals.
You can buy both these salts in the UK if you buy online. We’ll give you the links in another post devoted to such topics.



SKANJVEEN
Ingredients
Makes one glass
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp black salt
2 ice cubes
water

Method
Mix all ingredients with water well, then add ice.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

Bay Leaves History,Uses in Medicine and Cookery;Recipe:Basic CHICKEN STOCK

BAY LEAVES

The Latin name for the bay tree is Lauraceae nobilis, Laurus means praise and nobilis, renowned; hence the phrase ‘to rest on one’s laurels’ meaning to reflect on past triumphs or achievements and not do anything new. The bay tree is also known by other names, including the laurel tree.

This tree is native to southern Europe, and is the basis for a Greek legend. Eros (Cupid) and the god Apollo were both skilled archers, and one day in a fit of pique, Eros let fly two arrows, one tipped with lead and the other with gold. The golden tipped arrow struck Apollo and the lead one hit Daphne, a nymph and daughter if the river god Peneus. Apollo, who had gone to the valley of Tempe to cleanse and purify himself after slaying the Python, the ancient evil serpent, immediately fell in love with Daphne, who, because of the effect of Eros’ arrow, loathed and feared Apollo. She fled from him and ran to the river which embodied her father. On seeing his daughter’s plight, he changed her into a bay tree. This is how the tree gets its Greek name, Daphne.

Apollo was not cured by this metamorphosis, of his love for Daphne, and on his return to civilization, to commemorate his victory over the Python, established the Pythian Games, and victors at these games were given crowns of Daphne, or laurel to wear. When the Olympic Games were established in 776BC, victors were also crowned with wreaths of laurel, as were later Roman Emperors.

Nowadays poet laureates are also given symbolic wreaths of laurel, and this is a throw back to the belief of the ancient Greeks that, among other things, Apollo was god of poetry. His temple at Delphi had a roof made only of bay and the Pythoness, the priestess there, would eat a bay leaf before giving the oracle. Bay is said it have some narcotic qualities, so maybe it helped in giving the priestess visions of the future.
We know that bay trees were also common in the temple gardens of ancient Egypt, and that Aesculpius, Apollo’s son, an a healer, believed that bay was a powerful; antiseptic, and guarded against the plague. He incurred his father’s wrath when he had the bay dedicated to him. In the 17th century Culpeper wrote that the oil of the bay leaf and berries could get rid of pimples, and’all griefs and pain proceeding from wind…’

The bay’s properties have not been much researched yet, but it is believed that it can promote digestion, lower blood sugar levels, cure migraines and can relieve the pain of gastric ulcers. However much more research is needed before these claims can be verified.
We use it to flavour almost every European dish we cook, although we tend to omit it in Pakistani cuisine, but there is no real reason for that. It goes with just about everything and is even used as a pickling spice.
The recipe below is a useful one for a basic chicken stock which can be frozen in small or large quantities and kept till you are ready to use it. It’s healthier than a stock cube, and much tastier. Also it’s a good way of using the whole chicken after it’s been roasted.



BASIC CHICKEN STOCK
Ingredients
1 whole chicken carcass, skin removed
1 large whole onion stuck with 2 cloves at the top and 2 at the bottom
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
1 bunch parsley
1/8 tsp nutmeg
8 black peppercorns
3 or 4 bay leaves, torn depending on their size
2 tsps dried mixed herbs, or just dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Method
Put all ingredients in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Remove any scum that rises to the surface and do this at regular intervals when you start cooking this stock.
Cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
Cool and freeze for future use.
This has Taste and is a Treat, and can be used in many dishes.

Curry Leaves Origins Medical Uses And Recipe

CURRY LEAVES

Curry leaves come from a shrub or small tree, called the curry tree, or Indian Bay. The dried leaves look a lot like bay leaves, but have an entirely different aroma. I am told that they are easy to grow and keep on a window sill, as you can take a leaf with a stem as a cutting and put it in a pot, and it will grow. But as I have disasters with herbs, I’ll leave that to this site’s administrator who really does have green fingers. Fresh leaves can be frozen for later use, so growing your own is a good idea.

The word curry comes from the Tamil word kari, which is used as a term for a spicy sauce. The plant originated on the subcontinent and spread as the inhabitants took it on their travels with them. Now it happily grows in Australia, the Pacific islands, and Africa, where it is cultivated.

It is not a constituent of British curry powder, which the Brits have made as a quick way of making spicy sauces. This usually contains cumin seeds, turmeric, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, roasted fenugreek seeds, cinnamon and cloves, and chillies, although the mixture varies from company to company. We do not use curry powder at all, as we prefer to mix our own spices to create the flavour we want for each dish.

In traditional medicine here on the subcontinent, it is used to relieve digestive problems, help skin conditions, and people suffering from diabetes. Recent research in the West has shown that it does indeed help sufferers of diabetes and currently there is hope that they will produce a breakthrough in treating this disease.
  In Pakistan curry leaves are used in a variety of herbal remedies. Oil is extracted from the fresh leaves by steam, but you can heat them over a flame to produce the oil too if you hold them in a pair of tongs.They contain collagen which has anti-aging properties, as it promotes new skin cell growth to make skin youthful looking and smooth out wrinkles. The hakims say that if you have a history of diabetes in the family, or if you have developed diabetes because of a weight problem, you should eat ten curry leaves every morning for 3 months as they provide some protection for those with a history of diabetes in the family, and can cure those who have developed it because of surplus pounds.Tender young leaves mixed with honey and eaten can help in cases of diarrhoea and piles. Another remedy is to grind the leaves to a powder and put in a glass of lhassi (a yoghurt and water drink) and drink it on an empty stomach; this will cure any stomach problem associated with the digestive system. Curry leaves can strengthen the whole digestive system and they say that this is the best recipe: 15 gr. fresh curry leaf juice, 2 tbsp lemon juice, with sugar according to taste, and drink every morning on an empty stomach. This can also stop nausea, vomiting or help if you have eaten a lot of fatty food and your stomach feels heavy.
Here it is usually used fresh, although it can be used dried and/or powdered. It is hardly ever used in meat dishes, only to flavour vegetable dishes. The leaves should be fried in oil to release their aroma. You can use them in any of our vegetable dishes and in biryanis. You can also use them in meat dishes; it’s just traditional here not to. If you have your own curry plant you will find the leaves useful for using as a garnish.
Check out our chicken biryani recipe. Alternatively, here’s a rice dish!
It has Taste and is a Treat.


QUICK BASMATI RICE WITH CURRY LEAVES
Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for 10 mins
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ tsp garam masala
5 or 6 curry leaves
250 gr peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 tbsps oil
2 or 3 red chillies


Method
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, curry leaves, chopped red chillies, cumin seeds and red chilli powder .Add the rice and coat in oil, by stirring it around the pan. Add about 1 and a half cups of water, the tomatoes and salt to taste, and cook for about 15 mins. When the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and serve, garnished with curry leaves.
                           This has Taste and is a Treat.